Is your boss making your work day a living nightmare? Instead of composing resignation letters and scanning job ads, fight back.

Bullies and backstabbers and power-hungry, oh my! In this competitive and cut-throat arena of today's office, cases of "I love my job, but hate my boss" seem to be the norm. How often have you or your friends come across a boss who's plain incompetent, mean, unethical, or, horrors, all of the above?

Some boss who chose to shout out his/her employees' mistakes. Instead of talking in private and helping me improve on my performance, she made my 'incompetence' public knowledge. Not surprisingly, I left the job shortly after.

We all know that the boss should be able to see his/her own bad behaviour.

In a perfect world, the boss would be sincere, able to trust you, and be a great communicator, sharing his/her expectations of the team's roles and responsibilities. So, if your boss is crystal clear on deadlines and how a task completed, of course you'll benefit. You'll have a better idea of how to go about cleaning up that audit report, or realise you'll need to shave 15 minutes off your lunch hour to make important calls.

Reality, though, can be slightly different. And if you're unlucky enough to have a terror for a boss, it might be tempting to throw a hissy fit and slam the office door on your way out. One word: Don't. Regardless of the way you've been treated, it's unprofessional and will look unfavourably on you. Instead, "trust, communication and active listening" in handling unreasonable bosses, female or male.

Does this sound familiar? You do all the work, yet it's your boss who claims all the credit. Sure, the unofficial rule at most workplaces is that every employee needs to make your boss look good.

But, it doesn't mean your boss should be getting all the recognition at your expense.

To get around this, setting up regular meetings where you can update all the relevant people on your progress, or writing reports on how things are improving through your efforts. It may mean more paperwork for you but you'll have hard proof of your hardworking and proactive endeavours. Always promote yourself where you can, but don't forget to mention your boss at meetings and in your reports. It'll impress your boss and show that you haven't forgotten your boss.

Ever had a boss who shouts at you when he/she loses his/her temper, or is downright condescending through barely-concealed sneers and sarcasm?

If so, it pays to remain calm. Don't respond in kind or try to be defensive. Instead, say something like: "I think we both need to calm down. Let's talk about this later - quietly, rationally and in private."

Politely bring up how uncomfortable your boss makes you feel when you had been criticises in public. Tell your boss you would like to learn how to be better at your job - and that you'd like to achieve this by getting feedback in private. Or, you can turn the tables around by asking how you can let your own subordinates know their work is not up to scratch without putting them down.

That way, the onus is on his/her to tell you how your boss prefer to deal with the situation.

To have as much control as possible, your boss insists on overseeing even the simplest of tasks sets, from how you should phrase questions to clients to how your text should be aligned. When your boss breathes down your neck, it pays to ask yourself these questions: Do I keep to my work schedule and meet all my deadlines? Is that project report meticulous and free from mistakes? Can I work alone without any spoon feeding or hand holding?

To survive and prosper in this environment, you have to allow your boss to feel in control.

If the answer to all that is "yes", a heart-to-heart talk is due. Explain to your boss that you'd like to contribute at a higher level. For instance, you can ask to take full ownership of a small project, update periodically so your boss is reassured of your progress. Once you have proven that you can work well independently, ask for greater autonomy - so that you can move from being in charge of, say, your department's Karaoke Night to an important client pitch that could mean bigger year-end bonuses for all.

You think things are going swell, then one fine day, you find out about your "bad work attitude" or how you didn't finish a project on time through the office grapevine. This sort of behaviour on your boss' part is "usually about power; your boss is playing a 'divide and conquer' game"

To survive and prosper in this environment, you have to "play the game" too, by allowing your boss to feel in control. The best way to handle this situation is to regularly ask for your boss' feedback on tasks you've already completed. You can also seek his/her opinion on how to work better and faster. It will show that you're trying to improve by wanting his/her advice.

This way, your boss will feel that both of you are on the same page, and likely to shift the negative attention to someone else.

Having a procrastinating taskmaster who does everything at the last minute means you never get to go home on time because your boss leaves you to twiddle your thumbs all day, then dumps a load of work in your in-tray at 5pm.

But instead of seething silently, take matters into your own hands by being proactive - ask for work. "Don't wait!" Request your boss for a to-do list when you get into the office in the morning, or go to his/her two or three hours before the end of the work day to see if she needs your help with anything.